


Ephemeral

by negaii



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 17:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6338020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/negaii/pseuds/negaii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino doesn't believe in the concept of forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't supposed to be that long. Honestly. Ugh. This took me quite a while to finish since I kept changing things around. Whatever. My first Sakuraiba (wow!!!) even though it's just a brief mention lol. Ugh AO3 keeps messing up my spacing.

The truth _was_ , there was no fountain of youth. If it existed, Nino had yet to find it, and he lived for a _very_ long time.

The vampires-never-aging thing was a myth. They did age (Nino was proof of it, since well, he lived for almost three centuries already and he had grown older and taller since birth), although they aged _very_ slowly. In Nino’s case, he aged very slowly because of his pureblood ancestry. Those that were turned or were mixed bloods aged a lot faster in appearance compared to their pureblooded counterparts, but much slower than the humans. To Nino, it was both a blessing and a curse to be a pureblood. It was a blessing because he didn’t need to take as much sustenance to survive, and he possessed more strength and agility than his weaker counterparts.

It was a curse because Nino didn’t have a bloodmate yet.

Bloodmates were the one thing unique only to purebloods. The blood of their bloodmate was the only one they needed to drink from to grant purebloods great vitality and power. It also helped curb their hunger a lot faster and longer, and many purebloods didn't even need to feed for months if they drank from their bloodmates once. In mortal terms, they were basically a pureblood’s “soulmate.” Many purebloods often took their bloodmates as lovers.

For most purebloods, their bloodmates were other vampires (usually mixed-breed vampires as there were many of them). However, there were the rare few that had mortals as their bloodmate. It was a controversial topic in the pureblood community. Nino felt that it was unfortunate to have a bloodmate that led such short lives. Blink and they were gone. Many purebloods either ended up not doing anything about it and lived their lives without ever telling their bloodmate about their connection to the pureblood, or they turned them. Unfortunately, mortals that were turned was a huge risk to take. Many of them often didn’t survive; they would either be lost to the bloodlust that was inevitable when the transformation took place and had to be killed, or the transformation would have never happened because of the low success rate of turning. For most, many succumbed to the bloodlust that was too powerful.

That was his greatest fear.

Nino was scared that his bloodmate would be a human. He didn’t want to deal with the heartbreak that came with having a bloodmate who would die in just a few decades. He had seen some of his fellow purebloods sink into depression because they were unable to be with their bloodmate. Nino thought that would be a lonely and miserable way to live. He vowed to never let himself get involved with his bloodmate if they turned out to be human. Nino didn't think he could handle it. There was no possibility of forever.

 And forever was a _long_ time.

+

"Nino, would you turn off that blasted thing and come with me to the bakery?"

"Why can't you go by yourself, Jun-pon?"

"I need your opinion about something, and would you quit calling me that?!" Jun exclaims in annoyance as he taps his foot impatiently in front of his friend.

Nino ignores him and continues playing on his 3DS. He doesn't understand why Jun wants him to go to the bakery of all places. It isn't like they could actually digest any of the food there.

"Nino!" Jun calls again and reaches over to take the 3DS. Nino notices the movement and quickly disappears in a blur to the other end of the room. "Damn it! Would you stop acting like a child and just come with me?!" Jun curses as he glares at his friend. Nino has always possessed quick reflexes. It amazes Jun how someone so lazy could move so quick.

Nino glares at his best friend. "I really don't understand why I have to go. Can't you ask someone else to go with you? Ask Shun."

Jun rolls his eyes. "Because I want you to go with me, not Shun. Now quit being difficult and come! Or I'll tell Mao what you did to her dress last week." Nino glares at him before shutting the 3DS off. 

“I hate you,” Nino spats. Jun brushes him off and hands him his house keys.

“Love you too.”

+

"Are you kidding me?! You took me here with you to be your wingman?!" Nino hisses at him as Jun pretends to inspect the dessert display in front of them. Jun makes an affronted face.

"What wingman? I just need your...opinion on what bread I should get," he snaps back as he looks at the different baked goods on display. Nino glances at the girl Jun is currently trying to seduce (even if he's denying it). She's a cute thing with fair skin, big brown eyes, and her brown hair is pulled back into a neat and tidy bun. She’s also tall too since she towers over him (Nino resents this). The girl is talking to a customer at the moment, explaining the different types of breads the bakery has.

"Is she the manager? She looks like she runs the place, and I don't see anyone else." Nino observes as he continues to watch the interaction. Jun slaps his arm.

"No, it belongs to Ohno-kun, and would you quit staring?" Jun hisses quietly at him.

"Ohno-kun?"

"The baker and owner of the shop," he replies and tilts his head towards the direction of the open-kitchen in front of them. Nino turns and sees a small man working on a cake in the kitchen. He's cute Nino thinks to himself as he watches. The man seems to be around his height and has sun-kissed skin, a huge contrast with Nino’s own pale one.

"How do you know him?" Nino asks as he continues to watch Ohno decorate the cake. He's making flowers out of icing, and Nino is impressed. The roses are artfully and skillfully done, capturing immense detail, and they look incredibly realistic.

"He's a friend, and he was the one who told me what days Sawajiri-san worked..." Jun grumbles under his breath. "I was hoping he would introduce us, but he's busy with a cake order." Nino watches Ohno for a little longer before turning back to the dessert display. Nino snorts at how cowardly his friend is being. The fact that Jun is all acting all shy and hopeless towards a human girl blows his mind. Though, he isn't very shocked that Jun is attracted to her.

Jun is one of the few vampires to disregard bloodlines and race; they mean nothing to him. It's your personality and character that matters Jun had told Nino once, long ago when they first became friends a few centuries ago. Back then, in the early stages of their friendship, Nino had noticed that many of the half-blood’s friends were human. He had vampire friends too, but they were few in number. Now, centuries later, Jun's list of friends is still mainly composed of humans. Nino is one of the very few vampire friends that Jun bothers to talk to on a daily basis. Nino supposes that has to mean something; Jun is generally a good judge of character. 

"Hi, I noticed you two have been looking at this display for quite a while, did you need help with anything?" Nino snaps out of his thoughts at the sound of Jun's current crush's voice. He looks up and sees her smiling back at them. Her name tag reads _Sawajiri_ , printed both in English and Kanji. While she is addressing both of them, Nino notices that she's looking more at Jun. He rolls his eyes. He doesn't know why Jun is worried about making her fall for him. The girl already thinks he's good-looking enough.

"We were just browsing, Sawajiri-san," Jun says stiffly. Really? Nino can't remember a time where Jun had such a hard time talking to someone he had taken interest in. Jun must like this girl more than I thought Nino thinks to himself as he watches them interact.

"Okay then. If you have any questions about any of our products, please don't hesitate to ask me!" She chirps and gives Jun a sweet smile, and bows to them both before going back to the cashier to help another customer.

Jun sighs in exasperation and Nino rolls his eyes again. "Real smooth, Jun-pon." Really, his friend is hopeless. Jun grumbles back at him before shoving a bag of melon bread in his face.

A few days later, Nino finds himself back at the bakery again sans Jun. He can't get Ohno's face out of his mind; the look of concentration on the other man's face fascinates him. As he steps in through the front door, he sees Ohno at the front counter counting the money from the cash register. At the door chime that tingled when Nino had stepped in, Ohno looks up from his counting.

"Hello, welcome to--oh! It's you again! You're a friend of Jun-kun’s, right?" Nino looks at him in surprise. He had not been aware that Ohno had seen them that day at the bakery.

"Yeah, I am. And you're Ohno-san?" Nino replies as he makes his way closer to the counter. The man sends him a sleepy smile. Nino realizes the baker is much cuter closer up.

"Please, you don't need to use - _san_ with me, especially if you're Jun-kun’s friend."

"Oh-chan then," Nino suggests and cheers internally when Ohno laughs at the nickname. "So you're the owner of this shop?"

Ohno nods and gives him a small smile. Cute, Nino thinks as he leans closer on the counter towards the other man. "It's small, but I'm rather proud of it. I managed to open it with the savings I gathered during my university years,” Ohno explains. He looks embarrassed for saying so, but Nino detects a hint of pride in his tone; Nino finds this incredibly endearing. "So, how did you get to know Jun-kun?" Ohno asks as he starts putting away the coins in the cash.

Nino rests his chin on the palm of his hand and watches Ohno’s hands as they slowly drop coins into their respective sections. "Hmmm... we met during a summer festival years ago," he begins (give or take a few hundred years). "I was alone, and Jun invited me to spend the festival with him at the time. He was with a group of friends who deserted him for some game. I guess he took pity on me...not that I needed it,“ he adds quickly. He doesn’t want Ohno to think he’s a loner (which he is, for the most part). Ohno looks up and smiles at him before going back to his counting. As they fall into a peaceful silence, Nino takes the time to admire Ohno’s face which is scrunched into a mix of lazy concentration. He finds himself reminiscing about the first meeting between himself and Jun. 

Nino had actually been looking for his next meal at the time. He had not eaten in weeks, and was beginning to feel the effects of bloodlust. It had taken most of Nino's willpower to not start snacking on random festival-goers as he scoured the festival for a suitable meal. At the time, Jun was with a couple of his human friends when he spotted a thirsty vampire trying to keep his hunger under control.

 

_“You're quite brave to be venturing around here,” a voice whispers into Nino’s ear when he’s trying to clamp down the urge to snack on the young woman’s neck in front of him. “Or quite stupid.”_

_Nino jumps at the sudden presence behind him. He curses quietly; he had no idea that the bloodlust would affect him greatly. The fact that he isn't able to even sense the other vampire sneak up behind him is dangerous, especially for a pureblood. “I don't intend to cause a scene, for your information,” Nino snaps as he tears his gaze away from the woman to look at his intruder. A young man with dark wavy hair stares back at him. The other vampire is quite pale (possibly even paler than him), and he looks young. Probably less than 200 years old Nino assumes, as he glares at the other vampire. “I also don’t appreciate being whispered to.”_

_The other vampire chuckles. “It’s either I do that, or you jumping on some poor innocent mortal and causing a ruckus with your bloodlust,” he explains as he watches Nino carefully. “Your bloodlust is quite obvious. You should do something about that.”_

_Nino rolls his eyes. “What do you think I’m doing here?”_

_The vampire in front of him frowns at him. Nino knows he doesn't look so good. While he’s already pale to begin with (contrary to belief, not all vampires were white as snow), Nino knows he looks even paler than he usually does, his skin tone now taking on an unhealthy bluish tint. His body is beginning to look even scrawnier, and he has dark circles under his eyes from the lack of substance he hadn't been able to obtain for the past few weeks. Nino hasn't fed in weeks, and if he doesn't anytime soon, he knows he will lose to the bloodlust that is slowly building up in him. That will be a disaster he thinks to himself and grimaces. And embarrassing._  

_“Listen…” the other vampire says as the taller man takes a step closer to him. “I really don't want you to cause a commotion at the festival right now, especially since it's tanabata. I can't let you feed on anyone.”_

_Nino glares at him, feeling his temper rise. “What. Do. You. Want. Me. To. Do?” Nino spats. “If you haven't noticed, I'm about to lose my sanity right now, and I would rather keep my sanity in tact than lose my mind and start drinking from the first person I see.”_  

_The other vampire begins pulling the sleeve of his yukata up. “I know,” he replies, “that's why I'm offering my blood to you.”_

_Nino looks at him in disbelief. “What?” He gasps in shock as the other vampire proceeds to walk closer to him with a determined expression on his face. Nino stares at him flabbergasted. The other vampire is actually serious about this. He’s really offering to give him his blood to keep him alive._

_Blood sharing between vampires is fairly common, most of it taking place between lovers and family members. Most vampire children feed from their parents until they are old enough to go out and hunt. Sharing blood between friends is also a fairly common practice, but not as common as it is between lovers and family. Nino examines the vampire in front of him warily. While he has no qualms with taking blood from the other vampire (Nino is certain that the other man is not a pureblood; that would've been a headache), many half-bloods and turned vampires often develop a “liking” to the pureblood that has taken from them. Many consider being fed from a pureblood is an honour, and often use it to elevate their status in vampiric society._

_The Ninomiya family is a well-known and powerful name in the pureblood society. While non-purebloods may not have heard of them, all the pureblood clans did, signifying their secretive and powerful status among their circle. The members of the Ninomiya clan only mate with other purebloods, thus keeping their bloodlines pure and free of human ancestry. Their pale skin and youthful appearance are a huge marker of their belonging to the Ninomiya clan, and Nino often hears from others that he is the embodiment of the Ninomiya clan traits._

_Nino wonders if he knows the other vampire is aware that he’s a pureblood. It’s a little humiliating to think about. Purebloods aren't supposed to look like they’re falling into bloodlust. Nino doesn't care for any of the societal expectations set upon him as a pureblood, but it’s humiliating to have other vampires see him in such a weakened state. If the other vampire turns out to be a half-blood, he is probably safe from being identified. Unless he has a pureblood parent Nino thinks as he gasps in pain when he feels a sharp twist in his stomach._

_“What's your name anyway?” Nino asks as he pants in hunger and pain. The other vampire is descending upon him, and Nino can hear the blood pumping through the man’s veins. He feels himself getting dizzy at the increasing proximity between them.  “At least tell me the name of my donor,” he teases, trying to keep a straight face. The other man looks at him in amusement._

_“It's Jun. Matsumoto Jun,” he replies as he’s finally standing in front of him. Nino blinks in surprise. Matsumoto is definitely a pureblood clan, their name a little more well-known amongst the vampire population due to the number of family members they had. They aren't a complete pureblood family though, as there are a lot of half-bloods in the clan. Still, the pureblood vampires that hail from the clan are prominent members of vampire society._

_“You're a pureblood?” Nino asks, trying to gauge Matsumoto’s expressions. If he knows that Nino is a pureblood himself, this will turn troublesome for him, and he really doesn't want to spill any blood right now.To his relief, Jun shakes his head._

_“No, both my parents are half-bloods. We’re not from the pureblood line of the family,” Jun says with a smirk. “Why? Scared?” he teases as he holds out both arms. “Take your pick, it doesn't matter to me.”_

_“How kind of you, Matsumoto-san,” Nino remarks dryly before grabbing the left arm with his hand. “And no, I was just curious.” He brings the hand closer to his mouth, exposing the wrist and positions the man's fingers into a fist. Nino clamps a hand over the fist tightly; he has to be careful at least._

_“You still haven't told me your name, stranger-san,” Jun said as he allows the smaller man to twist his arm a bit. He has moved closer to the other vampire to accommodate the change in position, but not close enough to touch._

_Nino hovers over the other man’s arm, his mouth a few milimetres away from his wrist. He glances up at the other man’s face before making his move. “It’s Ninomiya Kazunari,” he says before sinking his fangs into the vampire’s wrist and drinks, ignoring the surprised gasp from Matsumoto._

 

Now here he is, years and years later standing in a bakery shop talking to a cute mortal, thanks to Jun’s kindness (or stupidity) at the time. After he had finished taking enough blood, and was planning to head straight home, Jun had cornered him into attending the rest of the festivities with him. Even though he was in awe that a Ninomiya had drank from him (Jun was well educated about pureblood society), Jun felt that the shorter man didn't have that many friends. Nino had put up a fight about it at first, but he reluctantly accepted the invitation after Jun refused to back down. Nino smiles. He owes Jun a lot.

“Hey, do you want to try some melon bread? It just came out of the oven a few minutes before you arrived,” Ohno says as he finishes putting away the rest of the cash away and had turned to look at him.

Nino feels his mouth turning into a grin.  “Sure, why not?”

He has come a long way from being that lonely boy decades ago. 

+

Nino continues to see Ohno after that. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and a few months turn into eight months. Having human lovers is not new for him. He definitely doesn't try to get into relationships with one, but Nino likes to be in love, putting all his affections towards that one person he's with. Ohno is the first human in years that he's fallen in love with (or anyone for that matter).

Being with Ohno is comfortable. Ohno is a "my-pace" kind of guy, which is perfect with Nino's slow-paced lifestyle. They're perfect for each other he thinks to himself happily as he makes his way towards Ohno's bakery. Nino looks down at the box encased with paintbrushes he bought as a gift for their eight month anniversary. He hopes Ohno will like them. Two months into their relationship, Nino had discovered that Ohno did art as a hobby. He is incredibly talented. Nino thinks a new set of paintbrushes made by one of the best brush makers in Japan would be a great anniversary gift for his artsy boyfriend. 

As he enters the shop (still closed for Ohno's lunch break), he notices Erika at the cashier eating her bento. They have become quick friends when Nino begins visiting the shop more, and he helped Jun out by getting him her number. He smiles as she greets him cheerfully and mentions that Ohno is in the back before turning back to her phone, thumbs expertly typing back a text in response while eating her lunch. Nino knows it's Jun because he had just spoken to Jun a couple of minutes ago on the phone, and Jun had declared that he was going on a date with her after her shift.

Making his way quietly to the kitchen, Nino hides the box behind his back. He sees Ohno, back facing him, at the counter cutting up ingredients. Nino moves quietly towards his boyfriend, making sure not to make any noise. When he finally reaches Ohno, he breathes quietly in Ohno's ear.

"Satoshi..."

It all happens so _fast_. 

Nino feels Ohno jump in surprise at the sudden call of his name in his ear, and the other male accidentally cuts himself on the finger with the knife. He winces and drops it on the cutting board and turns around to see Nino looking extremely pale, mouth open in shock at him. Ohno is taking a step towards him with worried expression on his face. His heart pounding, Nino feels like he's going to faint, the sweet scent of Ohno’s blood permeating in the air. He winces when he sees little droplets of blood from Ohno’s hand falling on the floor. "Kazu, are you-" Ohno begins to ask. This kick Nino’s brain into gear. Nino drops the box of paintbrushes and dashes out of the kitchen, ignoring the worried calls from Erika and Ohno behind him. 

No, no, no!

_NO!_

Nino repeats in his mind desperately as he runs to his car in a panic. The scent of Ohno's blood is still fresh in his mind (and nose). While all human blood has a sweet aroma, Ohno's blood has a hint of chrysanthemum added in, and Nino knows at that moment when Ohno accidently injured himself, that Ohno is his bloodmate.

A bloodmate’s' blood always has a smell that the pureblood vampire enjoys. Nino has always been fond of chrysanthemum since he was a child, his mother often planting them in the grounds of his childhood home. He has grown to love it, the mildly sweet scent that has forever etched into one of his favourite memories of childhood. And now, Ohno's blood smells like the flowers from his childhood. Nino doesn't understand how this can happen. He has tried to avoid the one thing he fears the most in his entire life, his one greatest fear...

Ohno Satoshi, a _human_ , is his bloodmate.

+

Nino hears his front door slam open, and hurried footsteps making their way towards his bedroom. His bedroom door opens quietly, signifying Jun’s entrance. He makes no sound to acknowledge Jun's presence, curling himself tighter into a ball.

"Nino, what happened?” Jun asks calmly as he makes his way inside, closing the door behind him. “Erika-chan called me and said you ran out of the shop without a word. Ohno-kun is scared that he did something to make you mad at him."

Nino hears Jun moving across the room and feels his bed dip slightly when Jun takes a seat at the end of the bed. Nino doesn't respond and curls up even tighter into himself. He hears the other vampire move closer to his friend and feels a hand on his legs. "Nino, please, tell me what happened,” he says softly.

"It happened, Jun,” Nino mumbles quietly into his blankets. A few seconds pass by and Nino groans and throws the covers off of him and he stares angrily at the ceiling before covering his face with his hands. "What I tried to avoid...it happened,” he groans, "fuck, I don't-" 

"Nino, what the hell are you talking about?" Jun interrupts, and Nino can hear the other man’s patience for the whole situation falling each second. "Nino, what happened?"

Nino removes his hands from his face and uncurls himself, pushing himself into a sitting position. He leans back against the headboard of his bed, and Jun looks startled at the devastation that is probably showing on his face. He hasn't seen Nino like this for a long time.

"Satoshi is my bloodmate," he admits softly. "Fuck it, Jun! He's my fucking bloodmate, and that's the very last thing I want!" Nino is shouting now, anger pouring into his words like rapidfire. "I don't know what I should do! I'm attracted to Satoshi, hell, I even love him, but he's my fucking bloodmate. I swore to myself centuries ago that I would never pursue my bloodmate if they were human, and now..." his words trailed off as he looks at Jun in pure agony. "I don't think I can stop."

"Are you sure he's your bloodmate?" Jun asks. Nino nods tiredly as he covers his eyes with his palm.

"Yes, all the signs were there. When I smelt his blood, it was sweet but there was another scent that I've never smelt before in other people’s blood. It also made me so hungry," he groans, and falls back into his bed. He covers his eyes with his arms. "I'm so hungry, Jun, and all I want is his blood. But I can't have it."

Jun shuffles closer to Nino. "Kazunari, you need to feed if you're hungry,” he says gently. He tries to remove Nino's arms away from his face.

"Are you offering?" Nino mumbles.

Jun shakes his head and sighs."Of course I am," he replies and Nino blinks at him. Once again, he is taken back at the half-blood’s friendship. Jun moves closer towards him and holds out his hand, palm facing up. "We'll figure out what to do, but first, eat."

Nino looks at him for a moment before taking Jun's offered hand. He has stopped questioning Jun’s offerings of his blood a century ago. Jun is selfless and he pours his whole heart out for those he loves. He doesn’t offer Nino his blood for status or bragging rights; he offers it because he cares for friend deeply. Nino feels incredibly lucky that Jun is a close friend and confidante. Gathering some venom into his mouth, Nino makes sure to pour some into the puncture wounds when he breaks the skin of Jun’s wrist. If there is one thing Nino wouldn't do, it is taking from Jun without the venom. He doesn't deserve it Nino thinks as he sucks harder to try to speed up the process. Pain is the last thing he wants to inflict on Jun. He hears Jun humming above him, settling himself in a more comfortable sitting position. As he drinks, Nino wonders what he's going to do. What now? What is he going to do about Satoshi? He must have been too engrossed in his thoughts to continue drinking because Jun is patting Nino’s shoulder lightly.

“Stop thinking and just drink, Kazunari,” Jun says sternly. Nino nods and continues to drink. He can worry about everything later. Right now, he has to make sure he doesn't fall into bloodlust.

When Nino finishes, he quickly swipes his tongue over the wounds to help the wound close faster. Jun grunts and raises his own wrist up to his mouth and begins to lick at it. It's not an intimate act between them. It never is. There's no sexual or romantic intent. It's just Jun being a good friend (and brother) to someone who needs his affections. When Jun dries his wrist by wiping a tissue over it, he looks back at Nino.

“You okay?” Jun asks quietly as he moves closer to Nino to sit beside him on the bed. Nino nods slowly and pulls the cover over his head.

“Thanks,” he says and he can practically hear Jun rolling his eyes when the other vampire tells him not to mention it.

“You need to tell him.” Jun breaks the silence after a few minutes. He turns his head over to look at Nino. “You can’t keep something like this from him.”

“I don’t want to,” Nino replies stubbornly as he pushes himself down under the covers. “I’m never going to tell him. He doesn’t need to know.” 

Jun sighs. “Kazunari, you can’t not tell him. If you’re going to keep this relationship-” 

“No,” Nino interrupts and looks up at Jun. “I’m not continuing this relationship. I can’t do that to Satoshi, Jun. I can’t do it to myself either…”

Jun stares down at him in shock. “So that’s it? You’re just giving up like that? Kazunari, you idiot--”

“I’m being realistic, Jun!” Nino shouts at him. “I have no plans to turn him, nor do I have any intention of spending a few decades with him only to see him leave me forever.”

Jun places a hand on Nino’s shoulder and squeezes. “You’re just going to give up?”

Nino closes his eyes and nods. “It’s for the best,” he answers and opens his eyes again to look at his friend. “Please, this is what I want to do, Jun.”

Jun looks at him in quiet contemplation before sighing. Running a hand through his hair, Jun leans back against the bed headboard and crosses his arms. “I think you’re making a big mistake, Kazunari, but I’ll respect your wishes,” Jun finally says, looking out the window in Nino’s room. Nino smiles weakly at him.

It’s for the best Nino thinks.

+

Nino wakes to the sound similar to wings flapping rapidly outside his apartment balcony. Whatever was there, it just left. He has no idea how he didn’t sense it in his sleep. Grimacing, Nino crawls out of bed and heads towards the balcony cautiously, body tense and alert. While the presence is gone, the intruder may still be there, and he doesn’t want to take any chances.

Nino sniffs at the air to capture the scent of the intruder, but all he smells is something ashy mixed with a sharp smell of something citrus that still lingers on his property although very faintly. He doesn't hear anyone either. He doesn’t recognize the smell, and it startles him a bit. He knows that his kind are not the only ones that roam the Earth, but he has never smelled something that is a mixture of ashes and a sweet scent that he cannot put a name on. As he looks around the balcony for a sign of any clue about the intruder, he notices something on the floor. It’s shimmering brightly and Nino can tell there are faint traces of magic on it. He picks it up and blinks in surprise.

It’s a feather. The feather is iridescent in colour, leaning more towards red and orange tones, and there’s traces of glitter on it. He turns it over and admires the way the colours change according to the lighting from the sunlight. It’s beautiful, and Nino has no idea who the feather belongs to. Are there any birds that have colour-changing wings? Nino has an idea, but the idea is so far-fetched because the creature is a myth. Mythical beings are just that. _Myths_. He examines it again. The feather is really exquisite. It glows a little brighter as he brings it closer to his face, and it’s warm to the touch. Nino wonders what type of powers this creature must have: does it have the element of fire breathing through its veins? Knowing that he has no way (or idea) on how to identify the owner of the feather, he turns back into his apartment. He’ll let it go for now.

The next few days passes by in a blur. Nino avoids the bakery, and ignores all of Ohno's attempts in contacting him. He lets Ohno's calls go to voicemail, and deletes all of his text messages. Nino believes this is the best way to get over him. It's better this way he thinks as he stares at his phone again, vibrating to indicate Ohno's tenth attempt at calling him again today. Nino knows that ignoring Ohno's number on his phone would be more effective, but can't bring himself to do it. It warms him to realize Ohno still wants to talk to him, despite how he's currently acting like an asshole.

But how much longer will he do so? Nino thinks to himself as he checks his phone again before putting it back in his pocket. Ohno can't do this forever, he's bound to get tired of being ignored eventually. It's for the best Nino tells himself as he watches the sunset. This is the best thing to so for both of us. Watching the sunset for a little longer, he basks in the warmth of the sun. Contrary to popular belief, vampires do _not_ sparkle, detest garlic (other than the smell), or have an aversion to sunlight (though, sunburns are awful). Nino has kept a human schedule since he started dating Ohno, but he thinks it's time to go back to vampire time. He has no reason to stay up late (daytime for humans) anymore.  

The feather has taken place on his dining table. Nino finds himself holding and playing with it when he thinks of Ohno. In a way, the feather reminds him of the baker; warm, beautiful, and always bright with a calm comforting presence. He always feels like he’s being protected by the human, despite his own violent nature. Nino is the dangerous one; he finds it puzzling that Ohno makes him feel safe and protected. He's a human, he thinks to himself. Humans are not supposed to give off that feeling, especially to their predators. Deeply engrossed in his thoughts, he doesn't realize that his doorbell has been ringing nonstop for the past minute.

"Kazunari, I know you're in there!" Nino gasps. It's Ohno. Nino has never brought Ohno back to his place (which has never really bothered Ohno since they spent most of their time at Ohno’s bakery), and he knows Jun would never tell. "Open the door! We need to talk!" Ohno shouts again, and starts banging on the door. Nino groans at the noise he's making, but quickly gets up to let Ohno in. It wouldn't do to have his vampire henchmen come up and bother Ohno. "KAZU-" 

"Would you quit yelling?!" Nino hisses as he opens the door and drags Ohno in by the arm. After he locks the door behind him, he turns around and looks at Ohno, putting on an annoyed expression on his face. Ohno is staring back at him, arms crossed, his mouth in a frown. "Why are you here, Satoshi? How did you know where I lived anyway?" Ohno narrows his eyes at him.

"I demand an explanation," he begins, ignoring Nino's questions. "Why haven't you been picking up my calls?" Nino turns away and walks past him to his living room. 

"I thought I was quite clear. I don't want to talk to you anymore. We're over."

Ohno scoffs and follows him. "No, you weren't clear. In fact, you didn't say anything. Why do you want to break up? I thought...." Ohno sits down on the couch and looks up at him, his eyes filled with hurt and confusion that has been nagging him for days. "I thought you were happy with us..." he whispers, his voice wavering at the end. 

Nino refuses to look at him. He turns his gaze to the feather that he has placed on the side table next to the lamp. It's still shimmering strong as ever, despite it being a few days since it's appearance. If he looks at Ohno now, Nino knows his resolve would break down.

"I changed my mind. I don't think we are meant for each other," he replies, his gaze never wavering from the feather.

"Why? I will accept the break up if you will tell me the truth. No lies." Ohno is getting angry, but Nino still refuses to look at him.

"I already told you! I don't think we are meant for each other."

"That's a lie! Stop lying! Why are you lying to me?!" Ohno shouts and stands up right in Nino's face. Nino takes a step back in surprise. He has never heard Ohno yell or shout before, and the image is terrifying. Ohno is trembling all over and his fierce angry glare makes him shiver. Nino quickly averts his eyes again. He doesn't want this image of Ohno to be the last thing in his mind; he doesn't need an image of Ohno angry etched in his mind forever. He focuses his eyes back on the feather again. It's beautiful glow sends him comfort through this whole confrontation. Ohno grabs his arm. "Nino, look at me!" He demands. "What are you looking at?" He sees Ohno's body turn around at the corner of his eyes and then he stops. Ohno walks towards the feather display and picks up the glass case. "Where did you find it?" He asks quietly after examining it for a short moment.

"On my balcony." Nino doesn't know why he's telling Ohno the truth, but he sees no reason to lie either. "I didn't see who it belonged to,'but it was pretty enough to keep."

"You think it's pretty?" He asks in a curious tone, setting down the case before turning his attention back to him. Ohno makes no move towards him, but his gaze penetrates into his. It looks hopeful. 

"Yeah, it's a beautiful feather. Why? Do you want it? I'm not going to give it to you," Nino says sternly, feeling slightly nervous under Ohno’s stare.

Ohno continues to look at him, as if he's contemplating something. Finally, Ohno shakes his head and smiles at him, his eyes filled with love and affection and everything Nino has tried to stay away from for the past several weeks. 

"Kazu," he begins and takes a step forward towards him. Nino has to fight the urge to take a step back; he has no idea what Ohno is planning to do. "Kazunari," he says again in a much softer tone.

"What is it, Ohno-san?" Ohno makes a face at the address and pouts. He continues to make his way towards him before finally standing before him, not even a metre apart. Nino feels dizzy at their close proximity, but he refuses to budge until he knows what Ohno is planning to do.

Ohno watches him in quiet contemplation before he finally takes Nino's smaller hands in his and entwines their fingers together. Nino makes a small noise at the back of his throat and begins to pull his hand away, but Ohno has them in a tight grip, and Nino realizes that he can't remove them. He, Nino, the vampire, cannot remove his hold from a human's grip. 

"Kazunari, I know what you are," Ohno says calmly and watches Nino's face for his reaction. Nino freezes. Ohno knows what he is? That he's a vampire? How? How is that even possible? "I know that you're not a human," he continues and begins to walk forward, making Nino step backwards to avoid them colliding. Ohno continues to step towards him, still holding onto his wrist before they eventually end up on the couch: Nino is sitting on the couch, bewildered about what's happening while Ohno moves to sit on top of this lap, straddling his legs with his thighs.

"What are you talking about?" Nino manages to croak out. If he has the ability to sweat, he would be sweating profusely right now. Instead, his hands are shaking, and he's trying to avoid Ohno's attention on them. He doesn't want to show how nervous he is to Ohno. 

Ohno smiles at him and steals a kiss on his lips. Nino freezes at the action. What? What? What? Ohno pulls back and rests a hand on his warm cheeks. "Kazu, I know you're a vampire. In fact, I know both you and Jun are vampires. I've known for a while now. I'm sorry I didn't let you know sooner." 

Nino's head is spinning. How did Ohno find out? How did Ohno know that both he and Jun were vampires? Nino made sure he had been extra careful when they were dating. Ohno kisses him on the cheek softly.

"Kazu, how old are you?" Ohno asks him quietly, and moves to wrap his arms around his body. Nino's hands automatically fall to Ohno's waist. Ohno hums happily in his embrace and kisses his cheek again. "How old are you?" He asks again.

"I-"

"Your real age, not your 'human' age, please," Ohno interrupts. Nino can't think properly. Ohno is so warm in his arms, and all he wants to do is snuggle the older man. Nino doesn't want to answer so he keeps quiet. He sees Ohno look at him with exasperation due to his silence and pouts. With a determined look on his face, Ohno grinds against him and Nino gasps at the contact. "Hmm... You look pretty young so I'm assuming you're probably no older than 300 years old?" Ohno guesses as he examines Nino's face. That makes Nino explode. 

"I'm almost 460 years old dammit!" Nino shouts angrily, annoyed at people guessing his age wrong all the time. He freezes when he realizes he's told Ohno his real age. Ohno is looking at him in disbelief. "I-I-I mean...I..." Nino stammers, trying to cover up his mistake. He moves to push Ohno off, but Ohno is quicker; Ohno grabs Nino's hands in his and leans in close to him.

"You're that old?!" Ohno asks in disbelief. Nino looks at him in bewilderment. He still has no idea what is going on. "I thought you were younger! What was the human age you told me you were when we met?" Ohno pushes, looking oddly determined.

Nino thinks back to one of their first dates. It was a simple coffee date, and Ohno had asked Nino about his age in caution. Nino remembers fondly when he told Ohno his "human" age. Ohno had been worried he was dating someone too young for him. "I think I told you I was 32," he says slowly, still wondering what the heck is going on. Ohno groans and rests his face in his hands.

"All this time, I thought you were younger, way younger than me."

"Oh-chan, what are you talking about? You're 35 years old. You're a baby compared to me-"

"I'm 535 years old, Nino," Ohno interrupts him. Nino blinks. Did he mishear what Ohno just said?

"I'm sorry... what?" He says dumbly, staring at Ohno. Is he playing a joke?

Ohno rolls his eyes. "Kazunari, really. I know everything is kind of confusing for you right now, but honestly," he scolds. Nino glares at him. "I told you, I'm 535 years old. I'm 75 years older than you. This isn't a huge age difference either," Ohno muses thoughtfully. Nino gapes at him.

"535...what the fuck?!" Nino shouts. Ohno smiles at him sheepishly, and Nino has a hundred questions popping up in his mind. "What the hell are you? You're not human!" Despite his confusion and anger, Nino feels a small glimmer of hope inside of him. If Ohno isn't human... does this mean they have (he has) a chance at happiness? Ohno wraps his arms around Nino and drags him down on the couch so that they're both lying down side-by-side. Nino trembles against him, still stunned by the whole situation before him. Holding onto Ohno is the only thing keeping his mind sane at the moment. Feelings of bewilderment flow through him as he tries to make sense of what Ohno has told him.

"Kazu, Jun told me everything about your kind and bloodmates," Ohno begins. He strokes the hair on Nino's head softly, his hands tangles itself in the strands. Nino flinches at the mention of bloodmates. "He says that they're basically a vampire's soulmate." Nino clenches his hands on Ohno's shirt. Ohno hums happily and hugs Nino closer to him. "Kazu, am I your bloodmate?"

Nino sighs. They've gotten this far, and he sees no reason to lie or deny it anymore. It's obvious that Ohno knows the whole story, and Ohno is most likely not even mortal. Nino has tried so hard to avoid confrontation, to avoid being hurt by the whole ordeal, to avoid the inevitable heartbreak he's going to experience. Now that he has found out that Ohno isn't going to die on him in a few decades, He just feels tired about the whole thing. "Yes," he replies quietly. "You're my bloodmate." 

Ohno beams and hugs him tighter, his eyes radiating a calm sort of happiness. Nino hugs back in confusion. Most people who aren't even vampires tended to find the whole revelation scary or worrying. Ohno is acting the exact opposite, and Nino knows for sure that Ohno is not a vampire. "Thank you, I'm glad you told me. I don't know why you were worried in the first place," Ohno says as he puts both his hands on Nino's face and directs his face towards him so that they're both looking at each other. 

"That's because I thought you were mortal, idiot." Nino rolls his eyes. "But you just told me that you're 535 years old. You're definitely not mortal."

Ohno shakes his head. "No, but it was surprising to find out that you weren't human though. You're sort of immortal like me," he teases. "We can grow old together!" Nino rolls his eyes but smiles back at the sun-kissed man in front of him. "So..." Ohno says hesitatingly. "Are we...okay? I just want you to know that any reservations you had about us not being able to be together for a long time... none of that applies anymore. I don't want us to break up. I love you, Kazunari." 

"I can't believe Jun told you everything," Nino grumbles under his breath and averts his eyes away from Ohno in embarrassment. When he hears Ohno’s confession of love, Nino feels ecstatic. Maybe he would get his happy ending after all. He turns his gaze back at Ohno. "I love you too," he reciprocates. Ohno beams back at him and pulls Nino towards him for a kiss. Nino allows himself to be guided towards the older man and he sighs happily into Ohno's mouth.

However, Ohno still hasn't revealed his true nature yet, and Nino can't stand the guessing game anymore. Just what is he? He pulls away from Ohno's mouth, much to Ohno's dismay as the other man begins to whine at their loss of contact. He ignores it. "Oh-chan, you said that you weren't human and that you were 535 years old," Nino says and Ohno nods. "But you still haven't told me what you are."

Ohno laughs and gives him a peck on the lips. "Let me show you."

Nino lies back on the couch and watches as Ohno gets up and stands a few metres away from him with a smile on his face. Without any warning, a ripping sound envelops the room and Nino watches in amazement as huge gorgeous wings sprout from Ohno's back, falling all the way to his calves.

The wings are absolutely breathtaking to look at. They're a startling blue with red feathers underneath a layer of the blue. The blue is similar to the tropical skies Nino sees in photographs Jun sends him when he goes on vacation. Nino gapes at him in shock. Ohno walks up to him and pulls the vampire into his arms, his huge feathery wings wrapping themselves around them. Nino realizes that the wings radiate warmth and love. Nino clutches onto Ohno tighter as the wings brush against his back softly. The same warmth that Ohno radiates whenever Nino holds him is coming from the huge wings as well. 

"I think you know by now, but if you didn't," Ohno starts. He caresses Nino's back comfortingly, "I'm a phoenix." 

Nino looks at him in disbelief. "I can't fucking believe it," Nino remarks. Ohno pouts at him. Nino looks behind him at Ohno's wings in astonishment. "I thought phoenixes were stuff made from legends. I had no idea phoenixes existed!" He exclaims, twisting his body around to inspect the wings carefully. Nino hesitantly puts his hand up close to the feathers. They look really soft, and Nino wants to touch them really badly. However, he doesn't know if he's allowed to. He blinks in surprise when the wings shift closer to him, brushing against his fingers gently. Taking that as permission to do so, Nino gently lays a hand on the right wing and glides his hands over the two-coloured feathers. As he has predicted, the feathers are incredibly soft, and they emanate an incredible sense of heat. If Nino was a human, he would for sure be sweating right now. Nino continues to caress the feathers. He can't stop himself from touching such a unique part of Ohno. As he continues to move his hand closer to the end of the wings, he hears Ohno gasp. Nino quickly retracts his hands in fear of hurting him. Turning around, he opens his mouth to apologize but stops in his tracks when he sees how flushed Ohno looks. Ohno is breathing a little heavily and his face is painted red.

"Sorry," Ohno mutters. Nino watches in fascination as the red spreads more over his cheeks, blood pumping warmly. Nino licks his lips unconsciously. He remembers how delicious and sweet Ohno's blood smells from months ago. "It just feels really good..." he says with a pout.

Nino feels the last thread of his mental control snap. Without any warning, he pounces on Ohno and latches his mouth onto Ohno's neck and sucks on it hard, carefully avoiding any puncturing of the skin. They may be okay in terms of their relationship (and probably back together if Ohno's happiness of being his bloodmate is of any indication), it's still rude to take blood from a loved one without their consent. Ohno moans at the sensation tugging Nino closer to his body and retracts his wings making them disappear. He tilts his head slightly to the side to give Nino more access to his neck. When Nino realizes this, he pauses in his ministrations. Ohno whines at the sudden pause and pushes Nino's face closer to his neck as an invitation for more. Nino isn't convinced yet. He needs to hear Ohno consent to it first before taking. Still, he resumes his licking and sucking on Ohno's neck, but he does it more slowly this time, drawing out the sensations with his tongue. He feels Ohno quiver underneath him. 

"May I?" Nino asks into Ohno's neck. He breathes in the scent of his lover and it almost makes him dizzy. He feels Ohno nod, and a hand brushing his hair lightly. 

"Yes," he whispers. 

Without any more prompting, Nino sinks his fangs right into Ohno's jugular. He feels Ohno flinch and gasps at the initial penetration and Nino just brings his hand up to caress Ohno's chest to distract him from the pain.

Ohno tastes amazing Nino thinks to himself as he drinks. Ohno's blood is sweet and succulent, but not too sweet like a human's. The blood is incredibly warm as it flows down his throat, and Nino assumes that's due to Ohno's phoenix blood. The scent of chrysanthemum fills the air, and Nino has not had such a relaxing and delicious meal in such a long time. As he continues to drink, he feels Ohno fidget underneath him and Nino realizes that Ohno is still in pain. Nino berates himself internally for forgetting something so crucial.

Fortunately for Ohno, Nino is a pureblood. Blood drinking is generally a painful experience for the victims from pureblooded vampires due to their sharper fangs. Pureblooded vampires have a special venom that allows them to take away the pain from their victims. However, the venom also makes the recipient aroused... and Nino has no idea if Ohno wants something to happen between them even if they have just reconciled. Releasing his fangs from Ohno's neck, Nino licks generously at the punctured holes to prevent any blood from dripping, and to encourage faster healing. Ohno winces at the action but he still smiles down at Nino when Nino pulls back to look at him.

"I'm sorry," Nino apologizes guiltily. Ohno looks at him in confusion. 

"For what?" 

"I forgot to ask you before I drank some of your blood..." Ohno makes a questioning noise. Nino sighs. 

"I know that the experience just now hasn't been very pleasurable... And generally the experience of getting your blood sucked by a pureblooded vampire isn't supposed to be pleasurable. I have--"

"That's okay for me," Ohno interrupts. "A little pain to keep you alive is worth it."

Nino wants to cry. He doesn't deserve such a sweet man like Ohno. Honestly, how lucky could he get? "I actually can make the experience more pleasurable for you, but the venom that we use... it has some side effects..." Ohno looks at him curiously. Nino squirms under his bloodmate's gaze.

"What type of side effects?" Nino averts his gaze away from Ohno's, to avoid the possible embarrassment (and rejection?) that may follow.

"It...it makes you aroused...generally most people get aroused. I’m not sure how it will affect you, but for humans and other vampires, it increases sexual arousal, especially if it's given in large amounts.” Nino doesn't want to get into vampire bloodplay at the moment, even if it's a very interesting (and a pleasurable) experience. “Generally, if bloodsucking is done among friends or family, little venom is given, but among lovers, we give a lot to help ease the pain completely.”

Ohno contemplates for a bit before nodding. "Sure, let's give it a try," he says and moves to sit on the couch. "Is it okay if I sit while you do it though?" Nino blinks at him in surprise.

"You still want me to drink your blood? I'm not hungry, I was just...caught up in the moment..." he mutters. 

"Oh, I thought you were hungry,” Ohno says with a shrug.

Nino shakes his head and sits down beside Ohno. Wrapping his arms around Ohno's waist, Nino leans in and places his head on the other man's shoulders. "No, sometimes vampire couples drink blood from each other as a way to show love and affection." Ohno hums happily as he places his head on top of Nino's. "I'm sorry you were in pain earlier. I totally forgot..."

"It's okay, it wasn't that painful."

Nino rolls his eyes at the obvious lie. "Satoshi, I've been bitten before by a pureblood, and it does hurt a lot in the beginning. If it hurts a bit for me, it has to hurt a lot more for you." Which is true. While blood drinking between vampires generally isn't painful, especially the bites from non-purebloods, a pureblood’s bite can be excruciating. Nino has been bitten by another from his own clan when he was younger and it was an incredibly painful experience. Since they were still children, his cousin had not developed the ability to create the venom and Nino was writhing in pain the entire time. His mother had given his cousin an earful when she found them. 

Thankfully, most purebloods are courteous enough to use the venom upon initial contact to help ease the pain when they drink from friends and family. Nino has used it a few times on Jun before, but only a small amount. Small amounts of venom just creates a pleasant sensation for the victim, and enough to numb the wound. Large amounts...tended to make things a lot more exciting. Nino hopes that will be the case for him and Ohno.

"Hmmm... but if it's Kazu, that's okay isn't it?" Ohno asks as he shifts slightly to look at his face. Nino frowns back at him. "As long as Kazu is enjoying himself, I'm okay."

"Satoshi!" Nino scolds. Why is Ohno is so selfless? "Anyway, I don't mind drinking from you again, but like I said before, I don't need it for food."

"It's another way for vampires to kiss right?" Seriously, this man. Nino has never heard anyone equate drinking blood to kissing. Well, he supposes it's sort of similar in a way. Drinking blood from a lover is a very intimate act. "It's okay if Kazu is okay with it. I don't mind the uh... side effect of the venom either."

Nino smirks at the older man. "Curious?" Ohno shrugs at him in reply, his mouth settling into a small smile.

"Maybe. Besides, if I'm to be your bloodmate, I need to get used to the feeling anyway. Might as well start now," Ohno states and he tilts his neck to the side to allow Nino access. Nino supposes that's true, and frankly, he has a hard time understanding how Ohno is so nonchalant about the whole vampires and blood drinking thing. Then again, not many things seem to bother his lover, even when they first started going out. He's probably experienced a lot of things because of his age Nino suspects as he moves to straddle Ohno's thighs on the couch.

"Okay then. Just sit back and relax. Blood drinking is supposed to be a really enjoyable moment for vampires and their lovers," Nino says as he moves to straddle Ohno on the couch. He wraps his arms around Ohno's neck and starts rubbing his shoulder blades. "Can you make your wings appear again?" he adds shyly.

Ohno smirks at him. "You like them?" Nino rolls his eyes.

"No, Oh-chan. That's why I'm asking you to make them appear again," he bites back sarcastically. Ohno laughs and nods. He pushes Nino hands away, making Nino protest, and proceeds to take his shirt off. The shirt has holes in them and Ohno grimaces at the sight of them, but he tosses the shirt on the floor besides Nino's couch.

Nino stares at the man's tanned body in front of him and all he wants to do is touch. Ohno leans forward slightly and the fiery coloured wings appear again, emerging from the man's shoulder blades. Nino reaches up and caresses one of the wings. "They're so soft," he comments in awe. Ohno shrugs and his wings folds around them again, cocooning them protectively. Nino sighs in contentment at being in Ohno's hold. He doesn't think he'll ever get tired of it.

Ohno reaches up and places his hands on Nino's face, pulling Nino towards him for a kiss. Nino sighs into the kiss, opening his mouth and letting Ohno explore his mouth with his tongue. After a few more minutes of the slow and lazy kisses, Nino breaks apart from Ohno and moves his kisses down to Ohno's neck. Ohno tilts his head to the side and Nino licks at the the punctured wounds he made earlier lazily. He feels Ohno shiver at the action and Nino grins into Ohno's neck before he sinks his teeth back into the same holes again.

"Ah!" Ohno cries out in pain and Nino reaches up to stroke his wings in silent apology. Reopening the same wound hurts, and Nino quickly gathers a large amount of venom in his mouth in haste. He stays still to avoid making pressure on the holes. Ohno's body is still tense beneath him and Nino continues his ministrations on the wings. Finally, when the venom is done building up, Nino makes sure his mouth is covering the wounds completely when he removes his fangs from the punctured holes and releases the venom into them. He feels Ohno flinch at the cool sensation of the liquid entering the tiny punctured holes and Nino nibbles his neck in comfort, while making sure that none of the blood or venom spills from his mouth. 

Nino sits still and waits for the venom to kick in, his mouth still covering the wounds. He continues touching Ohno everywhere as he waits so as to comfort his lover. Eventually, Ohno relaxes and Nino knows the venom is finally taking effect. As he begins to ease away from Ohno’s neck, Nino suddenly feels himself being tugged away with great force, and the next thing he knows, Ohno is kissing him. Nino returns the kiss in equal passion and he feels Ohno grinds his hips against him. Nino moans and grinds back, the action causing Ohno to pant into the kiss. Realizing that the venom does affect the phoenix in some way (to his glee!), Nino quickly cuts off the kiss and latches back onto Ohno's neck and begins to draw. At first he drinks slowly, not wanting to cause Ohno any more pain. Ohno is now completely relaxed in his hold and is quietly panting in pleasure. 

"Ah, Nino..." he says above him. "It feels really good..." Nino hums into Ohno's neck in agreement. He’s feeling really good too. Ohno's blood tastes amazing and Nino feels like it's a drug. Feeling a little braver, Nino begins to draw harder from Ohno. He hears Ohno gasp and Nino panics, worried that he's hurting him. He begins to pull back but Ohno suddenly pushes him closer to him with his wings, his arms wrapping around him. "Please..." Ohno whines. Nino smirks. Well, how could he refuse? He licks at the open wounds again before sinking his fangs back in the open wounds and drinks in harder and longer bouts. Ohno is moaning loudly and Nino feels him tensing beneath him, his hips now grinding against his harder and faster than before.

Ohno is in a complete state of bliss, if his moans and pants are anything to go by. He whines and groans when Nino drinks slowly, and moans and clutches at Nino's shirt if he draws hard and fast. While Nino would've liked to continue the game a little longer, he's worried about how much blood he has consumed from his bloodmate. Frankly, Nino is surprised Ohno hasn't passed out yet. However, that's one thing that he doesn't want to happen, and Nino knows he needs to stop drinking soon. He suspects Ohno's mythical heritage is a strong factor for the man's strong vitality, but Nino knows that even if Ohno is some sort of superhuman, the man will eventually succumb to blood loss if Nino continues any further. Ohno whines in frustration when Nino removes himself from Ohno's neck completely, taking care to lick the open holes a few times, spreading his saliva on them to encourage faster healing.

"Why'd you stop-" Ohno groans loudly and his hips bucks up when Nino sticks his hand into Ohno's pants. He rubs at the material of Ohno's boxers and squeezes the package hidden beneath there. Claiming Ohno's lips with his, he continues his ministrations of just rubbing Ohno over the material, much to Ohno's dissatisfaction. He sucks on Ohno's lower lips, and Ohno opens his mouth wider to let him in. Nino shudders when he feels Ohno's tongue brush over his fangs that are still sensitive from the blood drinking, and Ohno continues to explore his mouth with his tongue, making Nino moan back into his mouth whenever Ohno brushes against his fangs. 

Finally, Nino slips his hand into Ohno's boxers and pulls on the hardened cock, tracing a vein with his fingers. Ohno cries out “shit!” against him as he begins to work at a steady pace, pumping the flesh and adding a twist here and there with his wrist in his movements. Nino watches as Ohno's expression is one of complete pleasure, his moans growing louder and louder as Nino increases his speed; his face is flushed, and Ohno's eyes are shut tight together as Nino continues pumping Ohno's cock. Ohno is thrusting up to meet his ministrations, trying to create more friction, his hands are gripping Nino’s waist tightly. "Ah-I'm close, Nino..." Ohno whimpers as he opens his eyes to look at him. Nino licks his lips as he continues to watch his lover fall apart under his control. Suddenly, Nino stops, taking his hand off of Ohno's cock. Ohno whines at the loss of contact and grabs at Nino's hands. "Why are you always stopping?" He asks frustratedly. Nino laughs.

"Patience, Satoshi," he chides before pushing himself off of Ohno. Ohno watches him in confusion until he realizes what Nino is planning to do when the vampire gets on his knees and positions himself in front of Ohno. Nino pushes Ohno's legs apart and places them over his shoulders, trapping his face between his lover's thighs. Nino breathes in Ohno's heady scent of sunshine and ashes and he feels himself getting hard at the smell.

"Kazu-ah!" Ohno cries out again as Nino takes Ohno down to the base in one go. He wraps a hand around the base of Ohno’s cock as he eases up from Ohno's length slowly until he's at the head. His other hand is wrapped around Ohno's sacs, and massaging them. Nino sucks at the head of the cock hard, his tongue licking at the slit on the tip, and Ohno moans loudly, his hands tangling themselves in Nino's hair. Nino continues to suck, his tongue swirling at the head and the veins, driving Ohno crazy. Ohno begins to beg him for release, and Nino tastes the drops of precum that's leaking from the head. He sucks the tip hard and Ohno cries out, clenching his fingers into Nino’s hair, while trying to push Nino to go deeper. Nino groans at how hot the situation is. The groan seems to do it for him, the vibrations from his throat sending tremors down Ohno’s spine. Ohno gasps, and the next thing Nino knows, Ohno is coming into his mouth. Nino swallows everything with enthusiasm, taking extra care to avoid anything spilling before removing his mouth from Ohno's now flaccid cock. "Oh my god, Nino..." Ohno pants as he looks down at him.

"That.. That was okay right?" Nino asks hesitantly. Ohno shakes his head.

"That was more than okay," he reaches down and drags Nino up so that Nino’s sitting on him, and wrapping Nino's legs around him and pulls him forward for a kiss. Nino finds himself getting hard at that display of manhandling. "Now, I believe it's your turn, ne?" Ohno says in a sultry tone.

  
+ 

Nino wakes up to incredible warmth. Peeking one eye open, Nino is greeted by the sight of large wings in front of him, encasing him in a warm barrier that is Ohno. Ohno is snuggling behind him, arms and legs wrapped around him like an octopus.

After Nino's prompt blowjob session, Ohno had decided to return the favour. They ended up in Nino's bed and all he remembers is warmth, love, and the feeling of being in Ohno; Ohno had ridden him hard into the mattress, and thought that was the first time he truly saw stars. They had gone several rounds after that, taking turns to fuck and be fucked. Nino loves making love with Ohno. Thinking about his bloodmate and their relationship makes him so happy that Ohno took initiative to sort things out. If he didn't, I would've made the biggest mistake of my life he thinks to himself and snuggles back into the phoenix. He accidentally brushes against Ohno's cock and memories of what they did yesterday flashes back at him. Just thinking about what they did yesterday starts to make his cock twitch in excitement. Nino curses mentally as he tries to think of things to will his erection down.

Jun in a dress. Jun with hairy legs. Jun with hairy legs in a dress.

"Mmmph..." Ohno mumbles tiredly against his neck. "What did you think of just now to be all horny first thing in the morning?"

"Sorry for waking you, Oh-chan," he apologizes. “Wait, how did you-” 

Ohno shakes his head. "Don't be, your scent of arousal is really pleasant."

Nino frowns and turns around making Ohno protest at the action. Nino rolls his eyes but he wants to be face to face with his bloodmate right now. He leans back on Ohno's wings, which has taken to follow his movements and provide as a substitute pillow. "You can smell my arousal?" Ohno's eyes are still closed, trying to fight going back to sleep.

"Hmmm..." he says. "After we mate with someone, we can smell their arousal and sense their moods for a limited time." That piques Nino's interest. He really needs to get Ohno to explain more about his kind because Nino has absolutely no idea about their powers. Heck, he didn't even know they existed in reality until last night. Suddenly, he remembers the blue feather that's still lying outside in his living room. Nino pokes Ohno in his stomach, earning a whine in return. 

"Oh-chan, Oh-chan!" He stares at the wings in front of him. Ohno's wings are blue, the colour of the tropical skies with red tints at the bottom of the feathers. The feather that he found is red with iridescent colours when held up towards the sunlight.

"What is it, Kazu? 'M sleepy...." Ohno murmurs into his pillow. “Oh! I almost forgot. Thank you for the paintbrush bouquet by the way. They were lovely.”

Nino blushes. Damn, he had forgotten about that. “You're welcome. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about,” he replies, shifting closer to Ohno. ‘"Satoshi, do you know who's the owner of the feather that I've found on my balcony? The blue one."

Ohno stops his protests and looks at him with sleepy eyes. He yawns and snuggles closer to Nino, wrapping his arms around him tighter. "Yeah...it's from a friend..."

"A phoenix friend?" Ohno shakes his head.

"No, but he's a bird too. His kind is less known though."

"Why was your friend spying on me?" He asks warily. It's creepy now that he thinks about it. Ohno grumbles and sticks his face into Nino's neck. 

"Talk later. Sleep now," he says before drifting off again. Nino rolls his eyes but lets Ohno sleep. He'll bother the man later when he's actually coherent.

+ 

"Nice to see that both of you sorted your shit out," Jun greets as he enters the apartment. Nino glowers at his friend as he shuts the door and takes the grocery bags from Jun. Ohno waves at Jun from where he's lounging on the couch, sketching pictures of bread. "Hi Ohno-kun," he greets kindly.

"Why are you here?" Nino snaps as he places the bags of groceries Jun has bought for him on the kitchen counter. Jun walks over to him and crosses his arms.

"Just to make sure nothing bad happened. Though, I wasn't too worried," he says with a smirk. He looks at the marks in Nino's neck, and then looks at the ones on Ohno’s. Nino blushes but refuses to let Jun tease him about it. He can't help but feel proud that Ohno has markings he made on his neck though.

Nino grumbles and starts to place the groceries in the fridge. Jun knows that Nino is glad that he came to check up on him to make sure everything was alright even if Nino doesn't tell him outright. 

"Oh, hey! What's this?" Jun asks when he spots the blue feather on the dining table. He walks over to examine it closely and Nino swears he has never seen Ohno move that fast.

"Don't!" Ohno hollers and grabs Jun's wrist before he could pick it up. Jun looks at him in complete shock. Nino rushes over to them. 

"What's wrong?" Nino demands as he looks at his bloodmate for an explanation. He begins to panic, thinking that something terrible has happened. However, Ohno is calm, despite his earlier outburst. He grimaces and releases his hold on Jun's wrist, and picks up the feather, curling his fingers around it.

"Sorry Jun-kun, but something bad would've happened if you picked it up," Ohno says sheepishly. "It's not an ordinary feather, and I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Satoshi, who's feather does this belong to?" Nino asks as he places a hand on Jun's shoulder in comfort. Jun is still a little shaken up at the sudden outburst from Ohno, and Nino can't really fault him for that. That was probably the first time Jun has ever heard Ohno raise his voice.

Satoshi smiles at them and unfurls his fingers around the feather. Nino notices that it seems to shimmer strongly whenever Ohno touches it. "The feather belongs to a dear friend of mine. He's a fire bird," he turns to Jun. "His feathers are beautiful, ne?" Jun nods competent flabbergasted that Ohno knows such a mythical being. Nino himself is astonished. What other legendary beings exist? "But they can give you a very nasty burn if Sho doesn't know or like you. His feathers reflect his feelings. They may look harmless…” he uncurls his fingers around the feather and this time it sparkles in his hand, the colour actually fading into a lighter shade of blue. "...But they can be quite dangerous. I didn't want you to hurt yourself, Jun-kun." Ohno hands Nino the feather who takes it absentmindedly without complaint . 

"Well then, thank you for saving me from a burning experience, Ohno-kun," Jun says accepting Ohno's explanation looking a little more relaxed from before. Nino looks at Ohno in confusion. 

"So wait, how am I able to touch it if I have never even met the guy?" He strokes the red feather in his hand. It's so soft and doesn't look like it could harm anyone at all. Ohno beams and sidles up next to him for a hug. 

"Sho-kun knows that we are together. I've told him about us."

Nino scowls. "He was stalking me!" He eyes the feather warily. The colour on the feather has turned back to the magnificent fiery red from before and the sparkles have completely disappeared. The feather still retains its shimmer, but Nino knows that the feather looks completely different in his hands compared to Ohno's. It looks more ordinary now he thinks to himself as he brings it closer for inspection. Ohno laughs into his shoulder.

"No, I'm afraid that was me. I asked Sho-kun to check up on you," Ohno admits sheepishly. 

Nino frowns. "How did he know my address?"

"Scent. And with the help of his mate. His mate's a fox," Ohno says nonchalantly. Nino blinks. First phoenixes, then mythical birds of thunder, and now foxes?

"What kind of friends do you have? I thought only vampires and other creatures of the night existed," he asks in exasperation. Nino has no idea that the there was a whole other world of beings that existed outside of the supernatural. Werewolves made sense, incubus made sense, and witches made sense. But trickster foxes, phoenixes, and mythical beings from legends? Nino has no idea. He's completely taken back by how ignorant he really is.

"Well... trickster foxes have always existed. I think they're one of the oldest beings in existence besides phoenixes. And they're very good at hiding their presence," Ohno says as he gestures for them to sit. Jun takes a seat on the couch and looks at Ohno in fascination. Unlike Nino, he finds the whole thing incredibly mind blowing. "Masaki-kun is a little younger than Sho and I though."

"How old are you, Ohno-kun?" Jun asks.

"I'm 535 years old. I'm actually quite young for a phoenix," he replies. Jun looks at him flabbergasted. "Wait, how old are you, Jun-kun?"

"I'm 455."

Ohno nods. "Oh, so you're just a few years younger than Kazu,"

Nino shrugs. "It doesn't really matter much of the age difference is a few years," Nino explains as he stands up and places the feather back on the table. Turning around, he notices that Ohno has moved to stand next to him and that Jun is watching them with a small smile on his face. "For vampires, the age difference only matters if we're a decade apart."

"Ehhh... I see. For phoenixes, it matters by a few decades."

"Decades?!" Jun yelps. Nino looks at Ohno in surprise.

"Yeah, since we live such long lives, we tend to disregard one decade age differences. Sometimes even 20 years," he explains with a shrug.

"Is it true that you guys are immortal? That you can revive from your ashes? Do you even have a bird form? Do you breathe fire?" Jun questions him looking completely intrigued by Ohno's mythical background. Nino is interested too. Does Ohno have an animal form? Ohno laughs and shakes his head. He grabs Nino's hand and drags him towards the couch, taking a seat on the armchair besides the couch Jun is sitting on. Nino feels himself being tugged down onto Ohno's lap and he curls himself around the man. Jun rolls his eyes at them, but Nino knows he's happy for the both of them.

"No, we aren't immortal. We live long lives, but we all die in the end. The rebirth thing is a myth. And yes, I do have a bird form. And no, I'm not a fire phoenix, but we all have an affinity for the sun," Ohno replies. Nino blinks. There were elemental phoenixes? He has to get Ohno to show him his bird form later. "I usually just stick to my human form though. It's easier to blend in."

"That makes sense. So what kind of phoenix are you? Also, you can fly? That's so cool, Ohno-kun!" Jun exclaims excitedly. 

"Yes, I can fly," Ohno says amusedly. “I'm a water phoenix.” Nino slides his hands behind Ohno's back and rubs at his shoulder blades where the blue wings would appear. It made sense that Ohno was the element of water because of his blue wings. He grins when he feels Ohno fidget under his touch. Nino loves how sensitive Ohno gets in that area. 

"Okay, I think I'm going to go now. Clearly you two lovebirds need more time together," Jun says in mock hurt as he gets up from the couch. He smiles at them. "I'm really happy for the both of you." 

"Thank you, Jun-kun," Ohno says as he walks up to him and pulls him in for a hug. "Without your help, I-"

"Think nothing of it. I'm happy that Kazunari has finally found his bloodmate after all these years," Jun tells him and squeezes back. "I'm glad that it's you Kazu has found. I have no idea how it works, but it does."

"You're getting so sentimental, Jun-pon," Nino teases as they walk Jun to the genkan. Jun rolls his eyes at the shorter man. 

"Someone has to look after you, brat." He snaps back playfully before giving them a wave and walks out the door.

Nino closes the door and locks it. The apartment falls into a comfortable silence. He hears Ohno shuffle out of the genkan quietly and making his way back to the couch to resume his sketching again. Nino turns around to smile at the sight of Ohno wrapped up in a blanket, a look of lazy contentment in his face as he draws. When Ohno realizes he's being stared at, his lover looks up from his sketchbook to give a happy and affectionate smile back in return at him. Nino feels happy, a feeling he hasn't experienced in a long time. And he thinks that this could work. Forever could work. 

Forever is going to be a _long_ time.


	2. Omake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I can~

“So wait, how can there be phoenixes with blue wings? Or even have an affinity with water?”

“Hmm… There are elemental phoenixes. I am a water phoenix. My whole clan is affiliated with the element of water. Other clans can have an affiliation for fire (which is the most popular), thunder, earth…”

“Oh! So not all phoenixes are associated with fire?”

“Not necessarily. Some clans are closer to that element. But all phoenixes, regardless of clan and element, have an affinity for the sun. We get a lot of out powers from the sun."

“What do you mean by powers?”

“You're the strongest at night, right?”

“Only because it's easier to hide.”

“Ah. For us, we get a lot of power from the sun. Our magic is stronger when we have contact with sunlight.”

“So you can only perform magic when the sun is out? That sounds inconvenient.”

“No, we can still perform it without the sun. But the sun makes our spells stronger.”

“Like a power up mushroom in Mario?” 

“...I guess you can say that.”

“For once, you're actually talking a lot. “

“I do owe you some explanations…”

“Yes you did. You know, none of this fiasco would have happened if you were honest with me at the start!”

“How was I supposed to knowwww?”

“Quit whining, Oh-chan. You know it was your fault.”

“Kazuuuuu!”

“So what about your skin?”

“What about it?”

“Does the sun affect your skin too? Does it 'power' up too?”

“From the sun?”

“Hm mmm.”

“Yeah, it makes us stronger.”

“Is that why you're so tanned, Oh-chan? Is that why you're so strong?”

“No, it's just ‘cause I like fishing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONE! Unless I decide to actually write a sequel.


End file.
